impaction

Etymology

From Latin impingere (“to dash against, impinge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpækʃən/
• Rhymes: -ækʃən

Noun

impaction (countable and uncountable, plural impactions)

1. Compression; the packing together of loose matter.
2. something packed together tightly; a mass of densely-packed matter
3. (medicine) A solid, immobile bulk of stool.
   • 2021, Alice A. Horton, Isobelle Blissett, Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Freshwater Aquatic, Terrestrial and Avian Migratory Species in the Asia and Pacific Region, Convention on Migratory Species, page 22:

     As plastics cannot be easily egested, these can accumulate within the stomach, causing impaction and leading ultimately to death.

4. (dentistry) Failure of a tooth to erupt into the dental arch, because of adjacent teeth, dense overlying bone, excessive soft tissue, or other factor.